Fence



(No Model.)

- L. JAMES.

FENCE.

,951. Patented Nov. 24, 1 891.

a wemtoz NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEROY JAMES, OF MAROA, ILLINOIS.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 463,951, dated November 24, 1891.

Application filed December 2,1889. Serial No. 332,245. (No model.)

T0 to whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, LEROY JAMES, residing near Maroa, in the county of Macon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in rail fences; and the object and nature of the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a section of the improved fence. Fig. 2 is a section showing one of the supporting and securing frames in elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail of the rail-supporting frame before being placed in position to support the rails.

In the drawings, the reference-letter a in dicates the horizontal rails of the fence arranged in vertical series to form panels, as usual. The ends of the rails of the adjoining panels overlap and rest one on the other. At the intersecting or adjoining ends of the panels where the rails overlap a pair of vertical stakes or posts Z) Z) are located on the opposite sides of the overlapping ends of the rails, and at their lower ends are bound and firmly secured together by a wire 0, twisted around the ends of said posts, and the lower rail of the panel rests on said wire. These posts extend a distance above the horizontal series of rails a, and at their upper ends are firmly bound together by a wire d, and also at any intermediate point the posts can be socured together, as shown.

Each pair of upright posts is provided with a pair of inclined or diagonal braces e 6, extending down on opposite sides of the fence, and at their upper ends located on opposite sides of and bearing against the opposite sides of the posts. Each brace extends diagonally across the upper ends of the posts above the series of parallel rails a, and is separately secured at its upper portion to both posts by means of the wire fastenings f f and, as before stated, the upper ends of the two braces are located on opposite sides of the upper portions of their respective pair of posts. An inclined or diagonal rail g at its upper end rests between the two posts and in the upper crotch formed by the upper ends of the inclined braces, and the opposite and lower end of the rail rests between the upright posts of the next adjoining frame upon the top rail a of the next adjoining panel, and a horizontal top rail or rider h is located above each inclined rail g and rests on the upper ends of the same and is secured between the upright posts, as shown.

It will be observed that each panelis at its ends secured by two supporting-frames constructed as set forth, and that each panel consists of the vertical series of horizontal rails a, the inclined rail g, and the top rail h.

The inclined rail g closes the space between the rails a and the top rail 71, as this space cannot be closed by a series of horizontal rails by reason of the crossing of the upper ends of the inclined braces.

In building the fence the supportingfranies are first made separately from the fence. The first two frames are then held in upright position the required distance apart and the bottom rail placed between the upright posts and forced down upon the bottom wire, securing the ends of the posts together, thereby forcing apart the upper ends of the posts and spreading the inclined braces. The rails are then laid in position one 011 the other to the desired height. Then the rails have been laid, a chain or other means is placed around the upper ends of the upright posts andthey are drawn together, thereby drawing the lower ends of the inclined braces toward each other and bringing them into contact with the ground, and the upper ends of the rails are firmly bound together by a wire, as before mentioned.

Heretofore fences have been composed of the horizontal rails and the vertical and inclined posts; but the rails and said posts in these old fences have been so bound together by the securing-wires that the posts had to be built up and placed in proper position with the rails and while building the fence, and when the fence is taken down the posts have to be separated and taken down with the fence. My invention is a great improvement over and is essentially dilferent from these old devices. The rail-supporting frame shown in Fig. 3 in condition before being employed to support the rails is built and bound together independently of the fence itself and supports the rails by other means than the wires binding the frame itself together, so that the rails can be placed in position and removed without separating or disarranging the parts comprising such frame. As before mentioned, by the use of the present invention the stakes can be wired together during the winter or at a distance from where the fence is to be built and can be hauled to where the fence is to be constructed, and by reason of the supportingframes separate from the rails the fence can be built with great ease and rapidity by one man, requires a minimum quantity of Wire far less than said old fence, and will stand the attacks of stock better than said old fences. The fence can be readily and quickly taken down and the frames thereof hauled, away and employed somewhere else for constructing another fence.

This fence is exceedingly durable and cheap in construction, and can be very easily and quickly built.

hat I claim is' The herein-described rail-supporting frame, consisting of the two vertical stakes b b, the two inclined stakes e 6, located on opposite sides of and each crossing both stakes I) b, and the separate wires f f, each securingthe respective stakes at their points of crossing above and below, in combination with rails between stakes Z) I), secured by independent means at their upper and lower ends, as set forth.

In testimony thatI claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEROY JAMES. \Vitnesscs:

KINNETH SoHoLEY, JosEPi-I WooLLEY. 

